King Reef: an Australian first in repurposing oil and gas infrastructure to benefit regional communities

Abstract

The Exmouth Integrated Artificial Reef (King Reef) was deployed in July 2018 and is the first installation in Australia to innovatively combine repurposed oil and gas infrastructure with purpose-built concrete reef modules. The project involved a collaborative approach between industry, government (state and commonwealth), researchers and the community, creating a world-leading engineering solution using science-based habitat enhancement. The project integrated six mid-depth buoys with 49 artificial reef modules, providing more than 27000 m3 of habitat. Once support structures for subsea facilities, the decommissioned assets are now important habitat features that increase ecosystem productivity. The unique design and configuration of the structures on the sea floor resulted in a rapid increase in the diversity and abundance of marine biota, as detected by a collaboration between citizen scientists and researchers. Within 2 years, over 90 species of fish have already been observed, which is much greater than the sand habitat upon which the reef was installed. The results contribute to informed discussions, about the viability and effectiveness of artificial structures providing industry, regulators and the community with confidence around the benefits and effects of various installations. The Exmouth community has been advocating for the installation of an artificial reef for several years. At King Reef, the integration and repurposing of assets provide a range of long-term benefits to communities, including fostering community ownership and stewardship of these assets while providing new, safe and accessible fishing and diving opportunities.